News

Small Business Success – Cafe Quattro

Evan Butland, Founder of Cafe Quattro

“Dorchester Bay saved my business. They put me back in business. “

Evan Butland grew up in a family that knew its way around the restaurant business. On Sundays, when the family gathered at his grandmother’s house, Evan took note of the work that went into preparing the food. “It’s not just sustenance; it’s the whole experience of bringing everyone together,” he said.

Launching his own business seemed like the natural thing to do, so Evan opened a cafe in a small basement space on Beacon Hill. There were plenty of naysayers at first, but the cafe was hit. Everyone from state legislators to students to business people patronized the cafe.

Despite his success, Evan encountered a major hurdle. His lease on the cafe space ran out, and he was served with a 30-day eviction notice. Reflecting back on that moment he said, “ put my heart and soul into that business and it all went away! This is my livelihood and it was all taken away. I felt like it was me against the world.”

Evan was determined to make it. He met with bankers and anyone that would meet him in an effort to raise the capital he needed to move to a new location. Despite eight years of success in running his business, he struck out. No one was willing to help until Todd Lynch from the Department of Neighborhood Development put Evan in touch with Dorchester Bay.

Evan wasn’t optimistic. He had already been through tough let downs. But when he met with Dorchester Bay, he was impressed. They listened, and they genuinely wanted to learn more about his business. Dorchester Bay provided some of the capital Evan needed to start over.

Today, you can find Evan at Cafe Quattro, a bustling neighborhood cafe in Boston’s South End. “Dorchester Bay saved my business. They put me back in business.”

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Loading...